Adorably Awkward Cards by Emily McDowell

I have a confession. I have been obsessed with Emily McDowell’s illustrations ever since I laid eyes on them. This woman has the most hilarious sense of humor I have found on the Internet in a very long, long time. The illustrator, designer and self-professed “truth-teller” only really busted out into the art scene in January 2013, when she created a funny Valentine’s Day card (seen above), put it on Etsy and then had it go viral after Etsy featured it on their Facebook page. In May 2013, she launched her own line of 45 cards at the National Stationary Show, and, according to the illustrator, “every day since has been an adventure. An amazing, crazy, learning-curve-tastic adventure.”

Last week, I discovered Emily’s work while attending Alt Summit, the design and lifestyle blogging conference held in Utah. Emily was a fellow speaker there. (Eugene and I didn’t announce that we were speaking on this blog because it was our first time in front of an audience, and, we were a bit timid about the whole experience, though it all went well.) Unfortunately, I didn’t attend her session, but then, out of the blue, I met Taylor Vallliant of Noteworthy* Paper & Press who handed me a catalogue of Emily’s work. Taylor told me a bit about Emily’s incredible story. Once I saw Emily’s website, I immediately fell in love.

You can check out her shop to buy any of her products – like greeting cards, dish towels, tote bags and temporary tattoos. She has a greeting card line called Awkward Cards that is a continuation of the card that launched her. Take a moment, if you will, out of your busy day to enjoy these.

When we asked Emily to describe the series, she told us this, “When I launched my card line, my intention was to make cards that speak to the relationships we actually have, not the ones we wish we had. Every card we release goes back to that principle, but to me, the Awkward Cards embody it in the purest way. Relationships are messy and weird and hard to define sometimes, and I think the Awkward Cards capture that in a relatable, universal way. I love making anything that helps people feel understood — it means a lot to me when people pick one up and think, ‘So I’m NOT the only person who feels this way? What a relief!'”